SpaceX has announced that up to 40 of the 49 Starlink satellites it launched last week are expected to burn up in the Earth's atmosphere due to a geomagnetic storm. The satellites were deployed on 3 February from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, but 80% of them will not reach their intended orbit.
The company stated that the satellites were 'significantly impacted' by a geomagnetic storm on Friday, which caused the atmosphere to warm and increase in density. This resulted in atmospheric drag up to 50% higher than during previous launches, preventing the satellites from performing the manoeuvres needed to reach their target orbit.
Geomagnetic storms occur when solar wind—a stream of charged particles from the sun—interacts with Earth's magnetic field. Despite commands for the satellites to 'take cover' by flying edge-on, they failed to execute the necessary movements.
SpaceX confirmed that the deorbiting satellites 'pose zero collision risk with other satellites' and are designed to disintegrate upon re-entry, creating no orbital debris. The company has already launched 2,000 Starlink satellites and has permission to deploy up to 12,000.
The Starlink network has faced criticism from astronomers, who fear the 'megaconstellation' could obscure the night sky and hinder scientific research. In December, European Space Agency head Josef Aschbacher called for EU action to prevent SpaceX from dominating space, while China accused the US of ignoring treaty obligations after two close encounters with Starlink satellites forced the Chinese space station to take evasive action.
